


After Every Party I Die

by coffeerepublic



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Explicit Language, F/M, Halloween, Love/Hate, Mild Adult Content, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 10:18:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeerepublic/pseuds/coffeerepublic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're dumber than you think you're deep.<br/>You aggravate, but you always stop to speak.<br/>So watch as I start to smile.</p><p>[Joey x Reader]<br/>[Halloween-themed]</p>
            </blockquote>





	After Every Party I Die

**Author's Note:**

> A Halloween one-shot, it is! I re-read Yami Sango's 'Apple Cider' this week because it was Halloween season, and I was inspired to write a Joey-centric Halloween story as well. That's where the similarities end, however. :)
> 
> I've always enjoyed reading love/hate stories, but I had never written one myself. So, the following is my first attempt at that theme. I'd love to hear how you think I did.
> 
> The title and the lyrics in the summary are taken from IAMX's 'After Every Party I Die'.
> 
> Enjoy!

„Thanks for coming here with me,” Serenity stated with a smile as the two of you were walking up the driveway towards the door. “I would have felt kind of weird if I had been the only one at the party who’s younger than everyone else.”

“No problem. As long as it gives me an occasion to dress up for Halloween and have some fun, I’ll take it.” You chuckled and stopped in front of the door, pressing the doorbell next to the name ‘Taylor’.

“I know, just… I know that you don’t really get along with my brother. So I wouldn’t have been surprised if you had said ‘no’.” Her voice was soft and kind as she spoke, but you did not miss the unspoken criticism.

She loved her brother. She loved her best friend. She didn’t love the fact that Joey and you kept clashing time and time again.

You were just about to reply when the door to Tristan’s home swung open. He was however not the one standing in front of you. Instead, you were met with the exact same person you had just been speaking of – Serenity’s older brother Joey, dressed in a black shirt and matching pants with a skeleton motif. His hair was as untamed as ever. Once he realized that it was in fact you standing in front of him, he didn’t seem too impressed. That changed into a smile when he noticed his sister next to you.

“Serenity! It’s great to see you, little sis,” he greeted her, pulling her into a tight hug.

You raised an eyebrow. So you were simply being ignored now? The thought gnawed at the attention-hungry part of your ego. Which, to be quite honest, was the biggest part.

He eventually did turn to you after letting go of her, face again devoid of emotion.

“Joey,” you stated, intentionally throwing him a smile so sweet he would definitely catch on to the fakeness of it.

“[Name],” he answered dryly before stepping to the side so Serenity and you could enter.

Once inside, you realized that there were more people here than you had been expecting – most of them you didn’t know. They had to be from Domino High, where Joey and his friends were seniors. You lived in the same part of town as Serenity and her mother, so you went to a different school. 

Spotting Tristan and Yugi across the living room, you turned your head only to notice that Serenity was already on the way to the kitchen with her brother. You sighed, realizing you’d have to find your own source of entertainment. Your decision was quickly made.

“Hey there, boys,” you shouted, walking towards them with a smile – a real one this time. Tristan and Yugi returned your greeting rather enthusiastically as you leaned in to hug each of them briefly. 

You did not get to see the group regularly, but there had been a few times over the past year. Serenity had taken you along on several occasions by now and you really enjoyed spending time with them. The only obstacle had proven to be the personal dissonance between Joey and you. He managed to rile you simply by existing. He knew how to push your buttons. At least it usually also worked the other way around.

You spent the evening drifting from room to room, from conversation to conversation. Midnight had soon come and gone, the party still in full swing. You were truly enjoying yourself, just as you had been hoping you would. Several people had complimented you on your costume so far. After the effort you had put into making yourself look like G.B. Hunter, you had honestly been expecting it, as vain as that was. You still felt flattered.

Eventually, you found yourself back in the living room, talking to Yugi about the next upcoming Duel Monsters tournament in Domino City. You were just laughing at a comment he had made when someone sat down on the couch next to Yugi. Of course it turned out to be none other than Joey Wheeler himself.

“Hey, Joey! Are you gonna compete in the tournament next month as well?” Yugi asked him cheerfully. You sighed internally. Sweet little Yugi. Always making sure no one would be left out.

“Sure I am. Wouldn’t want Kaiba or anyone else to think I’m out of the game, would I?” Joey answered, laughing out loud.

“Ah, right, I bet he’s gonna be there as well. Probably overflowing with happiness, as always.” The both of them continued to talk and joke around while you began to feel as though you had dropped off the Earth. You’d suddenly turned into thin air. Swallowing the anger that was forming inside your gut, you were just going to get up and leave the situation when Yugi turned back to you.

“[Name] told me she was thinking about signing up for the tournament as well, by the way. That’s cool, right?” Another internal sigh on your part. Sweet, naïve little Yugi. He probably really thought Joey might find it cool.

“Oh, she knows how to play? Surprising.” His eyes met yours as he sarcastically referred to you in third person. The next moment, he had already turned back towards Yugi and you were once more nonexistent.

Something inside you snapped. You almost found yourself yelling at Joey but managed to put a brake on your anger just in time. Instead, you breathed in deeply and then exhaled, once, twice, three times.

“Yes, _she_ knows how to play Duel Monsters.” Your voice was pseudo-sweet, yet dripping with venom as he looked back at you. He hadn’t expected you to actually speak up.

“ _She_ also actually came here dressed up as a Duel Monster, in case you hadn’t noticed. A feat you didn’t manage to accomplish, if _she_ might add.” You gave him your widest fake smile.

“Yes. Dressing up as a female Duel Monster. You’re very creative.” He sounded annoyed, but didn’t raise his voice.

You hated how unwanted he made you feel. Although he was the only person present with whom you did not get along, he managed to give you the feeling that no one would particularly mind not having you around. You hated, hated, hated how he made you feel. But you were not going to show him that.

“Yes, almost as creative as dressing up as a skeleton. I assume you also considered a zombie costume, but they were sold out?” You gave him a one-sided smirk.

“Guys, I really don’t think you need to –“ Yugi did not manage to finish his sentence as you interrupted him to continue speaking.

“Also, I wonder why you dislike the thought of me entering the tournament so much. Are you sure you aren’t just scared I might kick your ass?”

“Scared? Of a little girl like you?” he scoffed. You swallowed. He really did know which of your buttons to push. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

But he was not going to win this. You were not going to let him.

“’Little girl’?” you replied mockingly, drawing quotation marks into the air with your fingers. “I don’t think that you of all people are in the position to insult any girl. You should be grateful I’m even speaking to you. You’re not exactly predestined for success with the other sex.”

That was a low blow, and you knew it. Also, it was a blatant lie. In fact, you found him to be incredibly handsome. Which, right at this moment, made you even angrier.

Before you knew what was happening, he had stood up, reached for your arm and pulled you up as well. His grip on your upper arm was tight as you struggled against it – unsuccessfully.

“What are you doing?” you spat. “Let go of me.”

“No. You’re coming with me. We need to talk about this, and you’re acting like a child, so we’re not going to do it in front of everyone.” He began to pull you with him and you had no choice but to comply.

Moments later, you were in the kitchen, alone with your favorite enemy, door shut behind you. You were still seething with rage and you knew that he could see it in your eyes as he stood in front of you, arms crossed over his broad chest. Just before, you had both been sitting and you now wished that were the case again. Standing up, he was much taller than you which absolutely diminished your pre-established superiority. 

“Now, say whatever you actually want to say to me,” he demanded with a frown, eyes never losing yours.

“What do you mean? I think I made myself rather clear out there.” You wanted, no, needed to make him lose his temper before he had the chance to do the same to you. You needed to win this. It was a wicked game, but you could not stand the thought of losing. Your vanity forbade it.

“Don’t pretend to be stupider than you are!” He raised his voice in desperate anger. Mission accomplished – you had known that you would be able to make him lose it. “Just tell me what your problem is, [Name]!”

You loved the fact that you were capable of having such an effect on him. It satisfied your ego in a way that little else could. At the same time, it frustrated you to no end that he affected you just as much.

“My problem?! Why don’t you tell me what _your_ fucking problem is with _me_?”

“You were the one who started the fight. You’re the one with the problem!”

“Oh, am I? Well, actually, yes, I have this one problem with you. The problem is that you treat me like shit! You always do. And now that that isn’t enough anymore, you just pretend I’m not there at all, even directly in front of people. That’s my problem!”

You wanted to punch yourself in the face for wording things this way. Your anger had taken the place of the eloquence you normally so cherished in yourself.

“I thought that maybe if I ignored you, we wouldn’t end up fighting like we always do! That’s all I want to do, avoid another fight!”

“Well, you thought wrong!” you yelled, taking a step towards him, leaving only inches between both of your bodies. You expected him to take a step back to keep the distance, but he didn’t. When you looked up at him, your eyes were still flaring with ire. It did not make him look away.

“I will not be ignored. Not by you,” you snarled, emphasizing every single word.

“You’re so in love with yourself. You’re awful. I have no idea why Serenity would even want to be friends with you.” He was trying to counter the low blow you had struck him with earlier. He did not succeed.

“Yeah, I know. I’m quite awful.” You still did not break his gaze. “So are you.”

“I could never be as awful as you.” Something flickered in eyes, and you thought to yourself that it must have been hatred. The thought made your heart beat faster – and this time, not because of the anger. You loved how strongly you made him feel.

“You think you’re so much better than me. I hate it. You’re such a do-gooder, aren’t you? A real knight in shining armor. Oh, I forgot. You’re only a good person when it’s easy to be good. When it’s difficult – say, when your sister decides to actually choose her friends herself, which a sixteen-year-old should be able to – you turn into an asshole. That’s all there is to you. You’re not as much of a hero as you think.”

“It’s not a crime that I don’t want her to become like you. You’re sixteen as well, and look at yourself. You’re the worst example there is.” His voice had lost volume by now. So had your own.

“Am I really? Isn’t the problem just that you can’t stand the fact that she won’t need you to protect her anymore eventually – soon even? Does seeing me remind you that girls grow up, too?” Now you were just taunting him. And it felt so, so incredibly good.

“I hate you,” he whispered, his voice deeper and more cutting than you had ever heard it. “You’re disgusting. I can’t even look at you. You make me sick.”

You took a tiny step forward, closing the gap between your bodies completely. Your heart was beating faster now, and no matter how much you did not want to admit it, you knew exactly it was more than just anger and satisfaction at his reaction. You pressed your chest against his, head leaned back, eyes still locked – you could not bring yourself to break his gaze.

“I don’t think that’s true,” you replied, voice just as low as his. Just briefly, you wondered whether he could feel your breath on his neck as you spoke.

“I see the way you look at me when you don’t think I’m looking,” you continued, hoping that he would feel embarrassed. This was still a game, although a much more serious one now.

He didn’t answer, so you acted on what your body had been telling you to do all this time.

You reached up and gave his chest a push. Unprepared as he had been, he stumbled backwards, the back of his knees hitting the kitchen bench seat. Once he sat, you stepped towards him. Before he even had the chance to complain, you had sat down in his lap, straddling him.

The next few split seconds felt like an eternity as you leaned in, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“God, how you frustrate me,” you whispered and then pressed your mouth to his.

He immediately reacted by grabbing the backs of your thighs and picking you up a few inches, pulling your body as close to his own as was physically possible. All of the hatred, all of the anger was being transformed into raw passion that consumed the both of you.

His tongue in your mouth, a groan from the back of his throat, softer moans from you. Your hands in his hair, his hands everywhere – your hair, your neck, your back, your ass, your chest. You felt like you could no longer control yourself as his pelvis pressed against yours, close, closer, almost painful then.

You were too caught up in each other to notice the sound of the kitchen door opening, and even Tristan’s surprised shout wasn’t able to convince you to stop or even pause.

“What?! Just… **what**?!”

A few seconds later, he still hadn’t shut the door again.

“Seriously? Did it have to be my kitchen?”

But he was once more ignored – or actually, not even noticed. He eventually sighed in defeat.

“Oh God. Whatever. Go nuts. If you aren’t already, that is.”

And the door was slammed shut.


End file.
